


I Don't Have A Chance With You

by grandcapitalr



Category: Lie to Me (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Kisses, Mutual Pining, Panic Attacks, Pining, Singing to each other, a big one, eli has depression and anxiety, fluff mostly, gillian knows everything, more in depth on the ep where everyone kisses, ria has a soft spot for him, they don't know the other likes them, you know the one
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-20
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:07:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8007349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grandcapitalr/pseuds/grandcapitalr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eli is definitely in love with Ria. Ria is definitely in love with Eli. He got the job, she's stubborn. But they haven't stopped the touching and the Ria always knows the right thing to say to him. Really, they need to get over themselves and kiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

If you had asked Eli Loker if love at first sight existed, he might have once said no. He might have once told you that no, of course not. Love was made; it was formed over years with invested energy and attention. He’d also tell you it wasn’t for him. It wasn’t something he thought he deserved or needed. Work was too important; he was too smart to fall in love. That was what he’d tell you, if you asked. But there was a woman, a woman who turned his entire world on end from the absolute second he met her. The first words he said to her were ones he now regretted, even after everything.  
“I would like to sleep with you.” He had said it with such confidence, it almost seemed as if he was joking. A little laugh from the boss, from the girl, and it was almost forgotten. Almost. That is, until they had slept together, all because of the same radical honestly pledge, “I would really like to kiss you right now.” 

Almost a year and a half later, a year and a half of Eli saying to himself that he didn’t need her, she’d just make everything more complicated than it already was. More than it needed to be. But it worked, she came home with him, she had slept with him. He had done better than fair, better than what he had told her that first day. He had been working on it, working on making himself better in the hopes that she may someday change her mind. 

The practice, the kiss, that night together only made things worse for the both of them, though. Waking up early, Ria had left in a hurry, leaving her earring, leaving without a cup of coffee or a goodbye. Leaving Eli sat on his bed, shooting straight up when he heard the front door crash shut, feeling as if the weight of the entire world had come crashing down upon his shoulders. His chest hurt, ached as if there was something inside his rib cage, pounding on the bones, trying hard to escape. For the first time in years, when laying against her chest, hearing her heart beat, staying awake to watch her sleep and kiss her forehead, Eli was happy. He felt safe, for the first time in his adult life, he felt safe. The sex was good, they talked and laughed, there was potential for them. A promise that there might someday be a someday. But that next day at work, she rejected him by using the job as reason for why they couldn’t be together. He was her boss. It would be inappropriate, like he was playing favorites. They were not partners as Gillian and Cal were. That was worse, the worst rock bottom he had ever hit. 

As hard as it was, he forced himself to remain as composed as possible in Ria’s presence, waiting until she was completely gone to pace, heavy hearted, to the bathroom. Cal, the big boss, opened his mouth as Eli walked by, attempting to make a snarky comment but Eli shot it down faster than he could even imagine from himself, giving him his own treatment with a very well thought out, “Bored.” 

Finally making it to the men’s room, the one in the back, rarely used and even more rarely noticed by guests and faculty alike, he broke down. Broken noises escaped from his mouth, building up in his chest like he was about to erupt, as if he was shutting down, the wheeze being the only noise he could remember how to make. It was the only noise he could even imagine making in that moment, devastated by the response he had gotten. What had happened with Ria made him feel like he was flying, soaring above those in this town that had once put him down, those who still put him down. It was just those who had gotten him to believe that he didn’t’ have a chance with Ria at all. See how wrong they might have been. It was as if tears couldn’t come, nothing but this small broken, pitiful noise, little thoughts starting to emerge, getting him to doubt his abilities, thinking Ria had never really liked it. She had a drink or two and she pitied him. That had to be the reasoning behind it all. It took him a full five minutes to compose himself, buttoning his shirt up to the top and running a hand though his curly hair. Reminding himself that he’d just have to deal with the situation, rejection wasn’t new to him and this certainly wasn’t the first time a pretty girl had told him, “It isn’t you, it’s me.”  
Eli stepped back out into the lobby, looking as best as he could, doing his best to turn on the smile and the attitude people expected out of him. But this felt different than ordinary rejection for some reason he couldn’t exactly place, in a way he had never really felt before. When Ria looked at him, he couldn’t meet her eyes and took every opportunity to look away and flinch away, never even talking to her. Eli took all day before the life ending thought came to his mind. It was over a beer in his apartment, Eli hunched over his counter, and the thought hit him like a brick. It was physical, him losing his breath in realization.

“I love her.” Eli thought, saying it aloud afterward, the words reverberated in his empty and dark apartment. He was suddenly angry that this had happened, angry that he had let himself fall for her and believe for one minute that it could be reciprocated. 

But it wasn’t his fault, was it? The moment he saw her was the moment he fell in love. What was his fault was that it had him taken this long for him to realize it. Or rather, it had taken himself this long to allow himself the thought to manifest inside of him. It almost hurt more to know it, now, breath still getting stuck in his chest. 

And Ria was at home, almost in the same position as him, feeling the same and acting the same. They were more in sync than they thought, even if others saw it. These two were almost like yin and yang, existing in mirrored ways. But for Ria, this wasn’t supposed to happen, she thought, beer in hand, bent over her counter, breath knocked out of her, the next one getting stuck at her heart. Eli was supposed to be nothing more than a fuck, a night of pleasure when she needed it, it had been a long time. Ria was rational and not romantic, she was not supposed to like him. Eli was a little too annoying and crude and all too honest. His jokes were bad, but they always made her laugh so hard her cheeks stung well into the night. His taste in music almost left a bad taste in her mouth. It was too slow and sad, the lyrics blending together unless you listened closely, all of the words about the manic pixie dream girl or the drink or the miserable history of an idealized physical and mental state, but despite all of that she’d sing along when they went on car rides together for a job, or for coffee. Or for what they excused as business but was more just a few minutes they could spend together without interruption. Every single time, without fail, she’d join in on his singing, the two of them harmonizing like they had been born to do so. And he was a wonderful singer, voice reverberating in her chest. 

When they had been together in bed, completely innocent, Ria feigning sleep, he had sung to her. Eli had no idea she had heard, thinking to himself that she wouldn’t want to listen if she was awake. But here he was, this big man, older than her, more educated and much taller, lying next to her and playing with her hair, sweet melodic words escaping from him as if he couldn’t control it. Eli was smiling a big goofy smile, even if the lyrics were sad; she could hear it in his voice. As he played with her hair, he stayed as still as possible so she wouldn’t wake up and tell him to go to sleep, occasionally touching her face with his surprisingly soft fingers and singing his favorite song by his favorite band. One she had heard every day for the past year. It sounded better when he was singing it. If one had her think back, this would be the moment she realized she loved him more than she had ever loved anyone.

“I get away stealing romance,” He murmured, voice getting deeper and more husky, more full of feeling the more he sung. As the song went on, he faded from a murmur to a barely audible whisper, a tired Ria straining to hear every word “from those who have left it behind. I’ll be the step in your slow dance. This time. Why feel foolish, we’re smiling. A grade school romance with wine. I’ll be the tick tock in your wristwatch. Be mine. Be mine.”

The last be mine is what shook throughout her frame, feeling it in her heart as he settled down, curling into her side and kissing her cheek twice before letting his eyes fall closed. When she was sure he was asleep, strong, powerful, independent Ria rolled over to push the dark curls out of his face. It was red from the sex, flushed in a way that showed off his spattering of freckles. “I’m yours, Eli.”

But unlike when he thought she was asleep, she knew he hadn’t heard her, the sleep visible in his face, a little bit of drool coming out of his mouth. She knew she was in deep when that it began to register as quite possibly the cutest thing in the world. Leaning forward, she kissed the corner of his mouth with a smile, humming a few more words before she too curled up against him and fell asleep.

“You drool in your sleep.” 

God, if Loker only knew how much she was his, how she’d do anything for him. There was a fight at every corner, getting him to know that she wouldn’t agree to everything. That would be ridiculous. But when the bomb went off right outside of the office, she worried about him more than she had ever worried about anyone. And seeing him hurt and broken made her feel like she was about to puke. Ria couldn’t protect him from everything, as much as she wished she could. That broken Loker had let her pet his hair, tend to his wounds and tell him not to push it when Cal had yelled at him. It was the broken, tired Loker that had allowed the forehead kisses and little calming touches. Platonic, she told herself, the same treatment her brother would receive. But it wasn’t. This was more. She swarmed him, getting too close and caring too much, laughing when the clueless assistant had asked them to get a room. 

That Loker had eventually gotten better, gotten snarky and angry. He didn’t allow the closeness, making her feel as if she no longer knew how to approach him, as much as she wanted to try. That was, until that night at the bar, Ria feeling butterflies in her stomach for the first time since she was thirteen, kissing the hottest boy in her grade behind the bleachers. She felt young and free and she would have followed him to the end of the earth. Not that she’d ever admit it.  
If someone had asked Ria if love at first glance existed, she would have said no. She still would stay no, but Loker had changed her somehow. Retrospectively, she knew she had loved him; the annoying radical honesty and all. He had wormed his way into her heart she knew that now. Imagining a day without Eli made her chest hurt, it made her heart feel as if it was lit on fire. She felt safe with him, leaning over his desk and feeling his breath on her skin, smelling the thick boyish smell of his cologne and fresh smell of his clothes, as disheveled as he looked. 

But that fateful night came, finally sleeping together, as he said he wanted to at their first meeting. It was better than what he said it might be, leaving her exhausted and happy. Ria was completely spent and aching for nothing else but closeness with him. That of which he supplied, of course he was the little spoon, curling into Ria. Not that she could say she minded, it made her feel strong and at home, like he could protect her Eli from the horrors that constantly seemed to face him. He didn’t stay still for long, but she did, letting him appreciate her hair and her freckles. The way her eyelashes left little shadows on her cheek. The only thought in her mind when he had sung to her, when he had returned the earring the next day, when he kept looking at her when he thought she couldn’t see was “I love you. God, do I love you.”  
The thing that would continue to get them was that they were both too stubborn for their own good and they knew it, even if they never admitted to it. Loker would never speak of his pining, Ria would never speak of how much she appreciated and needed him around. Instead, they chose little gestures for months. They knew each other’s coffee orders and lunch requests. For every single restaurant at which the company was a regular, even the obscure ones. Loker knew that Ria loved spice and mustard and made sure the company fridge was stocked with both. Ria knew when Cal had been specifically mean to Eli, walking up to him and running hands through his hair and giving him a little backward hug, lips so close to his skin that she could kiss him, she wanted to, every inch of her wanted to. They radiated their want for each other, causing Gillian gave them the look, the same one she gave Cal when he was particularly sweet to her, kissing her cheek or calling her love. She knew what was going on and knew exactly how this little romance would end. If they were anything like her and Cal, and they were, they would end up just as close, hopefully closer with the allowance of age and time. They couldn’t be this stubborn forever. 

Cal could be cruel, especially cruel to Eli, as if he was some sort of pet for Cal to torture the regular. Ria, by now, knew this fact, and she knew there was nothing she could do to stop it. And she knew his schedule for therapy. She knew, albeit through her snooping, which was only for Eli’s own good, that he was on anxiety medication, depression medication; he went once a week to see the same woman at one of the most expensive therapy centers in the city. Eli was one to act big and strong, as if he could handle anything that came at him, but she saw the way he broke down in his office, alone, when Cal talked to him, after the strong face had worn away and he had time to process the insult. It wore him down, slowly. It had been a bad day for all of them and she could admit that. She could admit that Cal had been taking the worst of it. He was the head of a case that hadn’t gone down smoothly and wouldn’t allow the rest of them to take the fall. The firm had nearly been sued and of course, he had yelled all of his energy out on Eli, blaming him for spilling some coffee in the kitchen right as Cal walked in. It was the kind of shout that wouldn’t be stopped; Eli had just been standing there taking it as he was shouted at. Ria had been in the hall, watching it all happen and waiting until it stopped. Once Cal had left and snarled at her, Ria snuck into the room, knowing she’d find Eli still there, with a blank look on his face. With a smile, she sat down in the chair next to him, moving closer to take his laptop and meet his eyes.  
“Drinks at my place later.” Ria said, reaching out to poke his shoulder, pushing it a little, knocking him back against the chair, seeing his surprise at the touch and the effort given to make him feel better. 

Eli really wasn’t feeling well enough to smile back at her. Being alone made him feel the slightest bit better, as if he was free to catch his breath on his own time. But, this time with Lightman shouting at him had topped any other instance, Loker barely doing anything wrong to deserve it, especially not in that quantity, and Gillian wasn’t available to stop Cal before he crossed the boundaries he did. Instead of fighting back, he slipped away mentally, starting to shake as Ria touched him and damn near tears, angry that his boss had had this effect on him. That was, until Ria met his eyes and seemed to fix it all with that look. It was as if she existed inside his brain with him, she knew exactly what he was feeling at all times, partially from his complete inability to keep a lie going when he was in such a proximity with her. It could be annoying at times, when he was trying to hide something or make sure a case was getting done without emotion and interference from her. But in times like this, when he was physically hurting, she could, would, and wanted to help. For that, he was thankful. Looking up at her, he allowed a small smile to form on his lips, all because of her, but still not reaching his eyes. 

“Just us?” He hummed, thinking it too good to be true. It had been months since what had happened, but the hope had never really left that she might want to be with him. Not exactly, even with all the convincing in the world. He’d hang onto her unless she told him to stay away, being explicit with the instructions.

“Just us.” Ria nodded, standing and waiting for a moment, waiting for Eli to follow. 

It was rare that he allowed this, never around others, but he leaned forward, hugging her swiftly, allowing himself to enjoy it for just a minute. His arms came up under hers, squeezing her so hard it could have hurt if he had any more energy to give.  
“Don’t worry about what he said.” Ria said then, seeing the sadness in his eyes, hands around him, wrapping them around his neck and pushing herself up on her toes. It was late now and she was tired. She could stay like this for hours, safe, feeling his heart beating against her. “You know he respects you. He’s jealous because you’re good.” She murmured into his ear, a genuine compliment that she knew would make him happy. It almost had a physical effect, too, Eli seeming to puff himself up and hug her harder.

With that and a smile, she separated, pulling away, letting her fingers skim along his neck and fall down to her side. That little inch of platonic closeness shouldn’t have gotten her so excited, but she could feel herself almost glowing. 

“See you at seven?” That smile he gave her was real; making Ria patted herself on the back for her ability to help him like she did. Making him happy was the best achievement in the world. 

“See you then, Eli.”


	2. Chapter 2

Loker wasn’t exactly one to prepare himself for a date. He was the type to wear whatever he had had on during the day, save for a shirt change if something had happened, or a tie if he was headed somewhere fancy. But this time, this particular time, he was going to Ria’s house, somewhere still mostly uncharted and unknown to him. Based on what he knew, it would be fancy, with flowers in vases and candles. Clean and put together, as she was. Ria should have been the last person he worried about, they had been at least friends for quite a while. She had seen him completely naked, freckled stomach and pale thighs and all, which was more than he could say for most of the girls (and boys, and other, he didn’t discriminate) he had slept with. In fact, she didn’t seem to mind the little extra weight he had, or the way he freckled the second the light hit him, or the contrast of floods of dark hair against pale skin. She had seen him beat up and bloodied. She had seen him in his worst state of mind, crying when he thought no one could see. And yet, here he was, standing in the mirror as if he was some teen girl in a movie from the nineties, clothes strewn around his bedroom. It had taken him hours after work to decide, changing his mind every single time he thought he had something good going. Finally, he settled on a green button down, a darker green cardigan. Ria had once complimented him on the way the greens brought out the little flecks of brown in his eyes. The compliment came just once, sort of fleeting and small as she left a room, it was almost years ago now. All she had to say was, “I like that,” and he was hooked. Despite it being so small and so long ago, he hung on to it, repeating it within himself and dressing in the color whenever he was feeling particularly low.   
Eli hung onto it now just like he was hanging onto the little touches she had given him before they left work. The hug that told him everything would be okay, the small slender fingers skimming along his neck as she pulled away, the petting of his hair that he received when things got hard, the little shove to tell him that she was sitting right there. Lightman wasn’t always right, she told him without a word. They were constantly communicating without saying anything, using it as a way to get around client s while still getting the other to understand what they needed. They had come to a point now where they were nearly always on the same page, it always worked out that way, accident or not.  
And again, he told himself, there was no reason to be nervous. It was just Ria. Ria, his friend, his confidant at work and in life, the same Ria that kept her hands in his hair so often and so frequently that he no longer jumped at the touch. Instead, once he was touched, he would smile and look up at her, wishing more than anything in that moment that he could motion for a kiss. He wished he could take her by the waist to get them sitting on the same seat, Ria on his lap, barely even taking up half of it. She’d weigh almost nothing; he could swear she had hollow bird bones. So light, so full of light that he could have seen her take flight and fly away from here and from the job that might have just been killing the both of them.  
Ria was also gentler than she let on, but she couldn’t give away the hard exterior she had, the one telling others that she could take on the entire world with just one finger and come out unscathed. Nothing bothered her, according to her. But, the little fights she got into, little cuts and bruises broke his heart because he could see the way she felt receiving them. She would shut down and shut everyone around her out, becoming the little girl that got hit, throwing fits and staying in her own mind. Even when it was a spat with Lightman that he would always resolve within the hour. Eli would rather he came back covered in his own blood brought to the surface from punches given to him by a man with a million and one rings. It wasn’t the first time and it wouldn’t be the last time, not with the attitude he had. He’d rather that than to see Ria with a paper cut or hurt feelings. Call him selfish. Call him protective. Call him anything in the world but it was true, all of it. He wanted to protect Ria more than he was actually capable of, more than he could even recognize.   
What this meant was, when Ria showed up unannounced to his still-messy apartment, to say he was shocked was underestimating the situation. There he was, walking through his apartment, a better word may have been pacing, wearing little ruts in the floor waiting for the appropriate time to roll around so that he could leave and speed his way to her house. Stopping the pacing at the mirror in the hallway, Eli took a moment to appreciate what he had done. The slightest amount of hair gel in his hair, keeping the curls in place and out of his eyes, the green that definitely did compliment his eyes and his freckles, it was making his hair look much darker than it was. Eli allowed himself to feel confident when the compliment came from her, if it only lasted for less than a minute. Everything revolved around her. He could hear the record he had put on playing a well-worn and well-loved Elvis record from his bedroom, just loud enough for him to hear it start to play “I Can’t Help Falling In Love.” How appropriate, be began to thought, flushing as it came to mind.   
It was just after the king had announced that “only fools rushed in” that Ria had knocked on his door, making Loker absolutely jump out of his skin. The knock was so her, the same pattern she gave when knocking on a doorway to announce her presence in the room. It was something he’d know within a second. But, Ria was not supposed to be here, this was not the plan. Panic began to rise in his throat, feeling as if he could scream. What was it? What had happened? He was supposed to show up at her place, completely composed and ready for drinks with her. It was really only an emergency that one of them should show up at his place, so he ran, socks slipping on his hardwood as he made his way over to the door. Taking a deep breath, he managed a smile and pulled open the door. However, it was only to find a Ria with cuts all over her face, a stance like she had been kicked while she was down, leaning against the doorframe. His smile faded faster than he thought possible, jumping off of his face as he stepped forward and reached out for Ria, taking her by the waist and pulling her, ever so gently, into his apartment, looking her over all the while.   
It wasn’t her fault. She’d stand by that until the bruises faded and the scabs healed over. Of course Lightman would tell her she was being too fiery and fighting when she didn’t need to. But she got the fighting from him, only following in his footsteps even if it would result in the death of her.   
It had started with nerves, finding herself nervous to face Eli and be in such close proximity to him, sharing drinks and talking. Alone, at her house. It was the farthest thing from a mistake, but she was beginning to doubt her ability to handle being so close to him without jumping him before he could say a word. She stepped out for a walk to clear her head and compose herself, hoping the cold nighttime weather would act as a way to freeze her thoughts from continuing. Eli was, at this point, her best friend, work and otherwise. She couldn’t risk ruining that, not after she had already given him a no. But of course, working with Cal Lightman came with risks that none of them really spoke about. They could and were stopped at any time, interrogated by those that they had locked up at one point. Or those he had offended with his brass nature.   
That was the feisty nature that got her, though. The man had approached her in the street, walking straight up looking threatening. Looking angry, contempt. Ria knew what he was going to do before he did it. She could have run, but it wasn’t her. Instead, she was glaring back at him, making herself look larger. At least, that was her goal, whether it was achieved was to be argued..   
“What do you want?” She hissed, pulling her hands out of her pocket and crossing them over her chest.   
The man replied with a sneer, “You’re the lie guy’s pet, aren’t you?”   
It was almost too dark for her to see his face, what he might have been thinking. So, with a mimicked sneer, she shook her head. “Call me his pet one more time, I dare you.” Said with a snarl, placing herself in a stance that said she could take him, when all he had to do was push her over. She had learned that stance in her childhood, if she thought she could, she could.   
And it was absolutely the worst thing she could have said, she was taken down within a second, not without a fight. But he was almost twice her size in height and stature and her face hit the pavement before she could even raise a hand. He kicked her once she had hit the pavement, again and again, and after a moment and a realization of what had happened, she moved to curl into herself, protecting her face. Somewhere in her, she knew that she had a date tonight and if he kicked hard enough, he would shatter her nose behind repair. The blood would flood her lungs before she could even stand up.   
It seemed to last longer than it did. She was down for only a minute or two, but it seemed like years, and the years flashed by. Remembering how her father would do this to her, coming home so drunk she could smell it from her bedroom upstairs. Before she could even defend herself, she knew they’d stop if you didn’t contribute to it. They’d get bored eventually. And that proved true, as unfortunate as it seemed, it always proved true.   
After her father got to her, she’d find solace in her sister, or she’d crawl in her closet, hiding behind the clothes and sopping up the blood with a rag, trying her hardest to just shut down and not cry. If they heard you cry, you’d get another slap or two for being weak, for not taking what you had obviously earned. But this time was different, she was an adult now and she could escape, find a place where she knew she’d be better than safe.  
Wordlessly, Ria found herself hailing a taxi, telling him Loker’s address before she could even really realize what she was doing. It was the only place she wanted to be, calling to her like home. Still not saying a thing except for the address, she paid the man and made her way, slow and painful, up to his apartment. Why did you have to live so high up, Loker? It was absolute nonsense, elevator or not. Waiting for the elevator seemed to kill her, the looks she got and shot down kept her going, though. It kept her living until she could collapse into Eli's arms, knowing she would be welcome and wanted there.   
Nothing looked better than that door. The last time she saw it she had been shoved against it, kissed and groped by Loker, her shirt already half off by the time they got in the building. It was ridiculous, like something Ria would see in the shittiest romance movie. One that came out in the summer with all too much promotion, and she wasn’t that kind of girl, that was not something that would ever happen to her. But any of this, anything with Loker was not something she expected from her life. But, when it came to him, she’d be anything if it resulted in her hands in his hair and his hands on her waist.   
Using the last of her energy, she knocked on the door, using the upbeat pattern she always used, relieved to see him and putting all of her body against him the second he reached out. It wasn’t a second too soon, Ria felt as if she could collapse at any moment. How grateful she was to have Loker there to hold her up. How grateful she always was to have Loker there, no matter what happened, he would be there. She was lucky that way.   
Eli was the one that was supposed to get hurt, he was the bloody one, always showing up to work with a new cut or black eye from a fight his radical honesty had inevitably gotten him into. Seeing Ria in his position made his blood boil, but he knew better than to ask any questions, instead letting her in and peeling off her cardigan and his own. They weren’t going anywhere, not tonight. This was the type of situation that you shut down the entire world for, stopping time to understand the situation and make it better. He’d shut down his entire week just to fix this one fight.  
“Come on.” He hummed to her, voice soft and gentle, almost as if singing to her again, pulling off her shirt too, not getting a single protest at the partial nudity. There was a spattering of bruises across her chest and ribs, making her look like a black and blue Dalmatian, so bright that they were the only thing he could manage to look at. Bright against her flawless dark skin that of which he had adored from day one. Eli could almost feel his heart beating out of his chest in pure adrenaline and anger at the person that had done this, no doubt it was associated with the job. Cal had caused the date and he had ended the date, all because he existed. Or so Loker thought.   
When Ria proved unable to walk, Eli acted only on instinct and want, doing something that he had imagined for months now, scooping his arms underneath her legs and behind her back, cradling her to his chest he carried her to the bathroom, the best lighting to assess the damage.   
“Ria.” Voice a whisper, he set her on the edge of the bath, holding her by her waist, trying his hardest to look away from the wounds and meet her dark eyes, even darker now as he could see her starting to shut down.   
“Hey, stay with me, Ri.” Not a nickname he had used before, but it came without a thought and went without a complaint. It rolled off of his tongue.   
“You look like shit.” A little laugh, reaching one hand out to cup her cheek. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one getting hurt? You’re better at the repairing. I can’t do that. It’s why we’re a good team.”  
What came from her was a murmur, trying to rock forward back into his touch, wanting more and more and more of it. When she had been picked up, she nearly swooned, both from the injuries and blood loss and from the way he felt so warm against her, his voice soft and caring in her ear. ‘Keep touching me,’ she said to him with a look, ‘keep me grounded. Keep me safe and warm. Keep me laughing.’  
“I’m going to run you a bath.” It wasn’t a question, it was more of a warning as he began to peel her clothes off to throw to the floor, more concerned with her. It wasn’t sexual, it wasn’t anything but innocent, the water running behind her as he lifted her into the warm water, knowing it would ease the pain of her cuts and bruises, it would clean them off so he could see the real damage that had been done. When in such a quantity, he couldn’t cover every one without hurting her somehow.   
The worst pain was when Eli tried to pull away from her and leave, assuming she might want to be alone. He’d stay close and listen for her, but he wanted her to know he wasn’t here to look at her and make this sexual, make this better for him. Ria didn’t want that, not in the slightest, she wanted him closer so she could lose herself without losing herself, still there with and for Eli. She latched on with energy she did not have and would not get back any time soon, but he was well worth it.   
“Please stay.” She hummed, eyes finally coming up to meet his, moving to lace their fingers and pull them toward her mouth, making him take a step forward to her.   
“Sit right there. Sing to me.” Her speech was slurred, it was more tired than anything, the journey here took everything she had from her, but that was sure, her hand squeezing his. If she could ask for anything she wanted, it would be this. Save for the wounds, maybe.  
Eli thought he could melt at that, removing his hand only to sit and take hers again. She actually liked to listen to him, she enjoyed the way he sounded. When had she heard him? And then it clicked. She heard him singing to her when she spent the night. Realizing that, he turned the brightest red, matching the bright green of his shirt.   
“I didn’t know you liked my singing.” A laugh, hoping to make this situation just the slightest bit better, the laugh just as melodic as the song that was still playing ironically in the distance. “I’ll have to remember that.”  
“Don’t push it, Loker.” She sputtered, still wanting to sass him, always wanting to have a retort to whatever he said to her. It was a reflex, showing she was still there with him.  
Eli laughed again at that, bringing their hands up to his lips, kissing her knuckles with a smile. The only song he could think of in that moment was one that would embarrass him, but Ria was there, in his bathtub, covered in bruises and a defeated look on her face. How could he not follow her requests? She said jump and he could only reply “how high?”   
“Wise men say,” He started, pulling her hand over to kiss her palm, meeting her eye as he did so. There was a breath catching in his throat, wanting to confess everything right then and there.  
And then there was Ria, Ria who had never felt so in love with someone, and she realized, wanting to never look away from those bright eyes that stood out as if begging to be noticed.  
“That only fools rush in.” Ria said next, surprising him that she knew what he was singing, smiling at him and reaching her hand out more. Her singing was good, but not when she had just been hit, making it comes out raspy, ending in a cough. She’d have to prove her place another day.  
“But I can’t help,” He gave another kiss, making his way to her knuckles and her wrist, “Falling in love with you. Shall I stay? Would it be a sin if I can’t help falling in love with you.” They weren’t with the music in the background, which had moved on by now, but it couldn’t be more applicable, Eli smiling and kissing her hand, not able to look away.


End file.
